1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to: an image forming apparatus such as a multifunctional digital machine called a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having various functions such as copier, printer, facsimile, and scanner function; an operation control method for the image forming apparatus; and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium with an operation program being stored thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
Some MFPs as described above are allowed to implement their functions only after having various applications installed thereon. In other words, installing an application program (also referred to as application, simply) enables such an MFP, having various functions such as copier and printer functions, to use application-based features of their functions, which are different from regular features of their functions, by cooperative work between the functions and the application.
Such an MFP can give users or business sections use authorities to the functions thereof. Naturally, the users or business sections are required to have their own authorities to the functions in order to use application-based features of the functions. Conventionally, once a user is successfully logged on to the MFP through user authentication by the application, the MFP allows any users to use the application-based features of the functions within the range of the authority of the logon user.
That is, for example, an authorized user for color copy, having been successfully logged on to the MFP possibly may leave the MFP for a while without logging off; even an unauthorized user can perform color copy on behalf of the authorized user during his/her absence, which may cause a problem.
Furthermore, an authorized user may possibly ask an unauthorized user to use only a particular function (color copy, for example) for some reason while being logged on to the MFP; the unauthorized user can also use other functions on behalf of the authorized user without his/her agreement, which also may cause a problem.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-053762 discloses a technique making user operation less trouble by requiring user authorization only once for a workflow, when a plurality of apparatuses cooperatively perform various operations in accordance with the workflow.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-129956 discloses a technique provided with: a first authenticator which performs department authentication on the department of a user who intends to access an image forming apparatus; and a second authenticator which performs individual authentication on the user himself/herself. In this technique, the user is permitted to use all functions of the image forming apparatus if the second authenticator identifies him/her as being authorized; the user is permitted to use only basic functions among all the functions if the first authenticator identifies his/her department as being authorized.
However, the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-053762 does not achieve the prevention of unauthorized use by a third person, because in this technique, the authority of an authorized user is effective while the workflow is active.
The technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-129956 does not achieve the prevention of unauthorized use by a third person neither, because in this technique, even an unauthorized user can use not only basic functions but also all the functions while an authorized user is logged on.
Therefore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications No. 2009-053762 and No. 2008-129956 and any other conventional techniques do not solve the problem that even an unauthorized user can use functions of an MFP on behalf of an authorized user after the authorized user leaves the MFP without logging off.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.